Free Web NovelChapter 86: Chapter 86: Little Poor Thing
The recent rainfall had been a disaster for everyone in Xinghua Village, leaving a scene of devastation.
Mrs. Tang wasn’t the first person to get hurt, nor was she the last. Many others had injuries far more severe than hers.
But when it came to bad luck, she took the prize. Other people’s houses had collapsed without them getting hurt. As for her? Her house was still standing, but she’d been crushed in someone else’s.
The pain of broken limbs was, needless to say, excruciating.
In any case, Mrs. Tang had groaned in pain for two full days before she finally fell quiet.
Li Shuanshu was a veterinarian by trade, but he also knew how to set bones. Regardless of how good his skills were, everyone in the village who was injured went to him.
With houses collapsing one after another and people getting injured, no one dared to stay in their homes anymore.
In the end, under the village chief’s arrangement, everyone was evacuated from their homes, except for those living in houses built in the last two years.
They moved into the homes of the village chief, the Tang Family, and a few others to take shelter from the rain.
Once they were out, everyone brought whatever they could carry, and the Tang Family’s home became packed to the gills. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Mrs. Tang was in so much pain that she couldn’t be bothered with any of it. She was truly suffering.
While she was suffering, life wasn’t easy for Little Tang Mo either.
With her arm and leg broken, Mrs. Tang could only lie or sit down to recuperate. Taking care of herself was a problem, let alone cooking, doing laundry, or looking after Little Tang Mo.
The little boy was already worried and scared seeing Mrs. Tang injured, and while the villagers made sure he didn’t go hungry, no one had the time to comfort or properly care for him.
Su Li had promised to return the next day, but she couldn’t make it back because of the rain. Little Tang Mo had been on edge ever since. He happened to overhear some villagers talking about Su Li, wondering if something had happened to her too.
Though young, Little Tang Mo understood what they meant. From that moment on, he kept his worries to himself. The little boy did his best to take care of Mrs. Tang, all while hiding his own anxiety about Su Li, afraid his grandmother would notice.
He waited and waited, tormented by fear each day. It wasn’t until he saw Su Li that he finally let out a loud wail and burst into tears.
All his fear and torment finally found an outlet the moment he saw her.
It was only natural that Little Tang Mo, having endured such an ordeal at such a young age, would ask Su Li never to leave him again.
Su Li listened to Little Tang Mo’s words, hugging him tightly, at a loss for what to say.
She had come back this time to pick up her things, intending to move to the county town. She had even brought back some primers she’d bought for Little Tang Mo.
Her plan had been to come back only to leave again, but Little Tang Mo was begging her not to go anywhere in the future, or to take him with her wherever she went.
’I’d be happy to take Little Tang Mo with me, but even if I’m willing, Mrs. Tang will never agree...’
Su Li could only remain silent.
"You must have been so scared these past two days. Are you hungry now?" Su Li asked after a moment, changing the subject.
"Not yet." Little Tang Mo shook his head and obediently washed his face.
"There’s no hot water. I’ll give you a proper bath after I heat some up." Without even looking, Su Li knew Little Tang Mo hadn’t washed his face or feet for days.
The shoes on his feet were also filthy. It looked as if they had gotten wet and he’d simply worn them until they dried.
"Okay." Seeing that Su Li was back, Little Tang Mo finally settled down, behaving as good as gold.
Su Li started a fire to boil water, chatting with Little Tang Mo as she worked.
Little Tang Mo was articulate and a good communicator. In no time, he had clearly explained everything that had happened in Xinghua Village over the past few days, including Mrs. Tang’s injury.
The villagers had been helping look after Mrs. Tang and Little Tang Mo for the past two days. Grateful for having been able to take shelter at the Tang Family’s home, they made sure the two didn’t go hungry.
However, once the sky cleared, every household was busy cleaning up. Those whose houses had collapsed had to start rebuilding, so it was impossible for them to care for the pair with much diligence.
That was why Little Tang Mo had turned into such a pitiful, grimy little thing.
As Little Tang Mo chatted with Su Li, he grew worried again and went to check on Mrs. Tang, asking if she was thirsty or hungry.
For the past few days, six-year-old Little Tang Mo had been the one looking after Mrs. Tang. For the first two days, when she couldn’t get out of bed, she had to relieve herself right there, and it was Little Tang Mo who emptied her waste.
Moved by Little Tang Mo’s filial piety and sensibility, Mrs. Tang had even had a good cry.
Of course, this only made her more dissatisfied with Su Li.
After having misunderstood Su Li yet again, she had been filled with guilt. She knew it was normal that Su Li couldn’t return in the rain, but as she suffered in bed and watched Little Tang Mo suffer alongside her, she couldn’t help but redirect her anger toward her daughter-in-law.
Now that Su Li was back, Mrs. Tang didn’t dare scold her because of the previous incident. She swallowed her anger, but she truly couldn’t stand the sight of Su Li.
Mrs. Tang didn’t want to see Su Li, and Su Li didn’t want to see her either, much less nurse her. So, she didn’t follow the boy, only telling Little Tang Mo to call her if he needed anything.
After Little Tang Mo left, Su Li’s brow furrowed into a tight knot.
Mrs. Tang’s injury had completely upended all of Su Li’s plans.
’Mrs. Tang is injured, and I could choose to ignore it, but what about Little Tang Mo?’
’I saw how he looked today. If I don’t step in, this kind of life is probably just the beginning for him.’
’In a later era, I could use the money Tang Yuanxiao sends back to hire a villager to care for Mrs. Tang, and then take Little Tang Mo with me. It would be the perfect solution for everyone...’
’But the problem is, things like that just aren’t done around here at this time.’
Su Li frowned, thinking it over. In the end, she would still have to discuss it with Mrs. Tang and see if she was willing.
Su Li waited for the water to heat up, had Little Tang Mo wash his feet first, and then went to see Mrs. Tang while he was washing.
Mrs. Tang’s face darkened when she saw Su Li finally come in after being back for so long. She looked like she wanted to say something but forced herself to hold it in.
Su Li pretended not to notice Mrs. Tang’s dark expression and began, "Sister Cuihua helped me find a job at her fabric factory."
Mrs. Tang’s eyes lit up. "Doing what? What’s the pay?"
"It’s an accounting position. Since it’s temporary, the pay is around ten to twenty yuan," Su Li replied.
’Although she was lying about finding a job, the story had to be believable.’
"Ten-something yuan? That’s really good." Mrs. Tang was very pleased. "You have to thank her properly."
"I will. Since I have to go to work, I won’t be able to take care of you. I was thinking I could pay one of the villagers to look after you, and I’ll take Little Tang Mo with me to the county town—"
Before Su Li could finish, Mrs. Tang cut her off. "Wait... Su Li, you want to start work now?"
Su Li nodded.
Mrs. Tang’s expression turned ugly. "No, that won’t work. I can’t be left alone here. You can go after I’ve recovered."
Mrs. Tang’s reaction was just as she had expected. Su Li said coolly, "The job will probably be gone by then."
A flicker of indecision crossed Mrs. Tang’s face, but then she gritted her teeth. "That’s still not an option. In my condition, the family can’t do without you. You can go after I’m better. Just have a good talk with your Sister Cuihua. She’ll understand that you have to take care of your mother-in-law."
"I want to go to work," Su Li said. "I’ll take Little Mo with me and look after him—"
"No! You can’t take Little Mo! I can’t be without him," Mrs. Tang interrupted again, her tone sharp and final.
Mrs. Tang looked up at Su Li’s expression. It’s unclear what crossed her mind, but her face suddenly darkened as she asked a question.
"Su Li, are you just making excuses because you don’t want to take care of me? Did you even find a job at all?"
She recalled how Su Li had refused to join Tang Yuanxiao in the city, how she’d given him the cold shoulder after being wrongly accused, how she’d left and not come back for ages, and how even now, all she wanted to do was run off!
’Su Li’s heart has gone wild!’
Thinking of the recent incident where Su Li was caught with another man, Mrs. Tang’s face twisted for a moment before she suddenly made a decision.
